Health and Wellness: Nutrition

What constitutes a healthy diet? Mainstream media and advertisers would like you to think that the answer to this question is complicated and controversial. But science, fortunately, tells us otherwise. A Conversation about Healthy Eating brings together all the relevant science about healthy eating in one place, and it's exactly that - a conversation; an informal discussion between a scientist and a friend about their eating habits,keeping the science firmly rooted in everyday life. The conversation moves from topics such as metabolism and digestion to gut bacteria, hormones, neuroscience and the immune system. All of these concepts are explained in accessible terms to help you understand the roles they play in maintaining a healthy diet.

More so than for nearly any other topic, the pendulum of opinion on nutrition swings from one extreme to another. Just a few years ago the U.S. government-issued food pyramid promoted carbohydrate-rich grains over protein. Recently, the Adkins diet proposes a lowcarb regimen that includes steak and eggs breakfasts. Where can the student in health class and general reader turn for accurate, dependable, fad-free information? This two-volume reference examines the relationship between food and health on a historical, national, and personal level. It analyzes how nutrition has affected quality of life, health, and fitness in various countries at different times in history. The work looks at the connections between diet and such diseases as beriberi and scurvy, and the role nutrition plays in conditions such as weight and height increases, diabetes, and obesity. Historical as well as contemporary methods of treatment are presented from an international viewpoint. Dietary trends within various cultures are also covered, ranging from the consumption habits of Asian Americans to those of Central Europe to those customary of Pacific Islanders. National Academy of Sciences, and the World Health Organization complete this world guide to health and nutrition.